The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is seeking to engage the services of an Individual Consultant to support the establishment of infrastructure for the safe, local production and distribution of Aflasafe in Madagascar. The Aflasafe biocontrol technology (based on atoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus) has been scaled and industrialized in several African countries, transforming laboratory-scale production into modular manufacturing plants using a dry-process method. To support safe, local production and distribution of Aflasafe in Madagascar, the World Bank is financing renovation and setting up of laboratory and manufacturing infrastructure.
The purpose of this assignment is to lead the design, renovation, equipping, commissioning, and validation of such facilities, ensuring compliance with biosafety, quality, regulatory, and operational standards in alignment with the project\u2019s overall goals and donor requirements.
In line with this, we invite suitably qualified and experienced individuals to express their interest in providing the required services.
Scope of Work / Key Responsibilities
The consultant will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:
Facility Design & Layout
\u00b7 Review existing site, building structure, utilities (power, water, HVAC, air handling, drainage, waste, HVAC, clean rooms)
\u00b7 Propose architectural / civil works renovation plans, partitioning of zones (grain intake, sterilization / roasting, cooling, coating, packaging, QC labs, spore production lab, storage, offices)
\u00b7 Provide detailed layouts showing equipment placement, utilities routing, personnel flow, biosafety separations, contamination control, clean air zones
\u00b7 Ensure modular design options (scalable modules) to allow incremental expansion, following lessons from modular Aflasafe plants in Kenya and elsewhere.
Utilities, HVAC, Biosafety, Environmental Controls
\u00b7 Specify HVAC / clean air systems (e.g. HEPA filtration, sterile air, pressure differentials)
\u00b7 Ensure design of sterilization systems (e.g. grain roaster, cooling, dry sterilization) in line with the dry-process methodology adopted for Aflasafe in Africa
\u00b7 Design water, steam, clean utilities, drainage, waste disposal, and environmental controls
\u00b7 Ensure biosafety measures, containment, monitoring of microbial hazards
Equipment Specification, Procurement, and Installation
\u00b7 Define technical specifications and acceptance criteria for equipment: grain cleaners, roasters, coolers, seed treaters (coating machines), conveyors, bagging & sealing, weighing & printing, QC instruments, spore-production fermenters, incubators, autoclaves, analytic instruments, etc.
\u00b7 Issue tender documents, evaluate bids, support selection
\u00b7 Supervise equipment delivery, installation, alignment, calibration, IQ/OQ/PQ (installation / operational / performance qualification)
\u00b7 Interface with manufacturers and subcontractors
Training & Capacity Building
\u00b7 Prepare training plan for local staff (lab technicians, manufacturing operators, QC personnel) in GMP, biosafety, equipment operations, maintenance, QC assays, data management
\u00b7 Oversee first pilot production runs and scale-up ramping, mentoring local team
Project, Stakeholder & Reporting Duties
\u00b7 Coordinate with the Project Management Unit, donor / World Bank, local institutions
\u00b7 Ensure compliance with WB procurement, safeguards, environmental, health & safety requirements
\u00b7 Provide periodic progress reports, risk assessments, work plans, budget estimates for the facility component
\u00b7 Monitor quality, schedule, cost, and resolve construction / technical issues
Requirements
Required Qualifications and Experience
Advanced degree (Master\u2019s or Ph.D) in relevant field \u2013 e.g., Biological Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering or related discipline.Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience leading the design, construction, and commissioning of biological / microbiological laboratories and pilot / full-scale manufacturing plants.Demonstrated expertise in QA/QC / validation / GMP or equivalent quality systems in biotech / food / seed / microbial production with experience in microbial fermentation, spore production, inoculation / coating, dry-process manufacturing systems. Excellent technical writing, reporting skills, stakeholder engagement abilities and project management skills with ability to supervise contractors, multitask and manage cross-disciplinary teams.Previous experience working with international organizations, donor-funded projects, developing countries/ Africa will be an added advantage.
Duration and Location of the Assignment
The consultancy is expected to last for a period of six months.
Benefits